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New drill. Three choices... $100 budget.

12-26-2007, 03:01 PM

Hi. I'm looking for a new cordless drill / driver. First of all, I'm a college student on a budget. I won't be going into a career that requires any tools, so this is an investment for a future homeowner / weekend project / DIY kind of person. That being said, I'm no stranger to a construction site. I know the value of a quality tool that will last many years. I just won't be putting daily stress on it, so I don't need the best.
I'm limited to the selection at HD, since I have a $50 gift card that I want to put towards it. My budget is about $50 plus the $50 gift card, so $100 total.
All three are Li-ion models.
The three drills I'm considering are:
1. Ridgid 18v Li-ion - $100. Stripped down model with just the drill and one battery.
2. B&D VPX 14v Li-ion - $100
3. Skill 18v Li-ion. - $100.

My concerns on each:
Ridgid. 1.5Ahr battery. It only comes with one battery, will that be enough? I know I'm looking at a nice chunk of money if I have to break down and get another battery. No case as well.

B&D. This one scares me. It looks like a toy, and in my opinion, it is targeted towards DIYers that should not be DIYing. I can't find info on the battery's Ahr. It's new and I'm not sure if it can be trusted yet.

Skill. No info on Ahr here either. I have the feeling that Skill is also a "cheaper" brand.

Any thoughts on my concerns here would be appreciated. Also, I'm willing to look at other alternatives besides these three, but I'd like to stay away from Ni-cad. Please keep my budget in mind. I can do $150 as an investment, but $200 is out of the question.

lit oin batterys last up to 3 times longer run time and the rigdid has the LLSA witch means you could still be using this drill 10, 15 40 years from now, beacuse the batterys are covered as well, so i would go with the ridgid of the choices you gave, but there is one other that i think you should at the very least look at, and that is the ryobi lith oin(ugly green) i belive you can get that right around for the $100 that you have to spend, and for the projects you have mentioned i belive that will suit your needs as well.

i would steer clear of the b-d and the skil cordless lines, just me though.

also make sure you have a desent corded drill before you spend alot on cordless, but i would pick up my corded tools from a pawn shop(1/3 of new) and for weekend and small projects they will last a good long time. but i also would never buy cordless from a pawn shop.

Comment

I need 18-V minimum for the occasional drilling through studs when I haven't the time to run out to my truck and lug the right angle with extension cord.

DeWalt is "considered" the best, with a price tag of $260.I use a Ryobi, which has a built in hammer drill for anchors in concrete foundations.I have used Ryobi for a long time now, I usually expect the drill to last 3-4 years because I beat the crap out of them, the batteries are awful..I get about 8-10 months from them.DeWalt batteries are approx. $90 each which last generally 2 years, Ryobi is $40 for two.DeWalt is a better quality tool, no question.What it boils down to is if a tool takes a fall from ten feet it'll likely break.I'd rather it be a $50 tool than a $260 one.

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You should be fine with the 18volt ridgid. Another thought, why not get a 12 volt with 2 batteries? Lighter weight and will handle 99.99% of your needs. The only advantage to the 18v is longer run time and unneeded extra torque(do you plan to be drilling w/ large bits). 12v batteries are cheaper and having 2 will do a DIY better than 1 18v battery. Suit your drill to your tasks and you'll be happy. For an extra 20, this set looks very good.

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Just forgot, my dad has a 12 year old 12v dewalt that still runs great and is on orginal batteries and I have a 11 year old 14.4 pistol grip dewalt that also runs w/ the original battery. How much did those drills cost? I can't remember what we paid for our drill, but I can tell you they still work great. See my motto at the end of the message.

Here's my thoughts. Out of the 3 that you selected, I would say to go for the Ridgid 18v compact lithium ion drill/driver, but with a twist. Buy 2. Now, hear me out:

If you buy two of these, yes, it will cost you $200. However, register yourself one of the sets, and part out the other set. Keep the battery from the 2nd set for yourself, so that you now have 2 batteries. Now, sell the charger and 2nd drill on eBay. You could probably get $20 at least for the charger, and $40 or so for the drill (these are kind of bare figures - I've been seeing these go for a little bit more, could probably get an extra $10 for each if you're lucky). Minus your eBay and PayPal fees, you're looking at $50 for those extra components. And, KAZAAM!!! you've got a 2 battery kit, with the LLSA, for $150.

Id say the Ridgid. The battery will run forever and if you are working that hard that you kill a battery that fast on your DIY project, it will be time for a beer break anyway, they have a fast charge time.

TO everyone: I wouldnt expect that $99 Ridgid deal to last forever though. I shouldve checked, but maybe Cellar can check (I dont work again till Friday night) but Id bet that it is a special package to get people into Ridgid tools for Christmas and is considered Inactive now (meaning it cant be ordered and when theyre gone theyre gone)

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Ok, I browsed through HD's website again, and I noticed that both the Ridgid and the B&D are "online only" and both are out of stock online. In fact, quite a few of the drills are out of stock online. I should have noticed it sooner, but oh well. Their website isn't proving very helpful. I'm back from vacation now so I'm going to check out the local stores pretty soon. I think I would have gone with the Ridgid, but now I'll have to consider new options once I see what is in stock at the actual stores.

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TO everyone: I wouldnt expect that $99 Ridgid deal to last forever though. I shouldve checked, but maybe Cellar can check (I dont work again till Friday night) but Id bet that it is a special package to get people into Ridgid tools for Christmas and is considered Inactive now (meaning it cant be ordered and when theyre gone theyre gone)

I would definitely agree. Anyone who thinks that the $99.00 XMAS Lithium deal (one battery, no contractor bag) is going to last forever just might be wrong. Same thing as the Black Friday $59 Recip Saw R3000S - special 9 amp model (no contractor bag) instead of the $89 R3000 - 11 amp model. It was here for a specific reason, the reason has been satisfied, and the R3000S is no longer available (glad I got in on that one too). The Ridgid sister tool line, Ryobi, did the same thing with their 4 pc tool kit on Black Friday sale - $59.00 for a radio, circular saw, drill, flashlight, charger and nicad battery (no contractor bag). An awesome deal for a first time purchase, made wonderful gifts, far more useful than a $40 3.6volt lithium screwdriver that holds a charge 18 months while sitting in the kitchen drawer (which is where it'll probably stay), but again no longer available. Grab the $99 (no contractor bag) lithium while they are yet available would be my suggestion. Or, if you've gotta have the bag and another battery, consider the 12 volt 3/8" chuck Ridgid for $99.00. I considered that drill because of it's physical size (almost an exact match to the 18v lithium) and weight, but the one batteried, lighted, 1/2" chucked, 450 in lb(ed), 1600 rpm(ed), no contractor bag(ged), lithium(ed) drill won out easily for me.

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Hi everyone, original poster here. All of my previous options became pointless once I got to the HD store. What I saw today:

Ridgid 12v $100 (previous $120) - Charger, 2 batteries, case. Looks like a great drill, but with a 12v, I'd for sure need a corded drill for those big jobs.

Skill X-drive 18v drill and reciprocating saw $100 - I checked online for reviews, but all I'm seeing is the drill, charger, and 2 batteries alone, and the avg price is about $110. Call me crazy, but is the drill AND saw with charger, 2 batteries, and a few accessories a good deal for $100 at HD? I'm uneasy about Skill, but 18v is the power I'd want and the price is right.

Now I have quite a few options. One tempting one is just getting the B&D one and spending the $50 gift card for HD on hand tools, which I'd have no problem doing. I don't 'need' a cordless drill, but it's something I'd like to have. Ultimately that's going to be up to me, but any opinions on those three drills would be great, especially that Skill 2-pack, which looks very tempting.